Slow Dance Anywhere I Go
by Lauren Eliza
Summary: Post 6.16. Lucas is worried about his unborn child. Will Peyton be able to reassure him and help him overcome his fears? LP One-shot.


Slow Dance Anywhere I Go

_I'll put my tails on and we'll hit the town_

_If you could kiss the world you'd turn it all around_

_I think we should, we should_

_I think we should be together_

_I'm trying to love you like you never pushed me around_

Four in the morning. The streets of Tree Hill were quiet at this time, a few streetlights on but most illumination coming from the brightly shining moon. The noise of cars was distant, and the only immediate sound was the basketball rhythmically hitting the pavement as Lucas dribbled his way towards the River Court. It felt like the town expected him to be out and about at this time. Lately he hadn't been sleeping well, and as much as he tried to deny it, he knew exactly why.

Having a baby terrified him at the same time as it thrilled him. He knew firsthand what it was like to suffer at the hands of a parent. While he knew he could never voluntarily hurt his child, he was afraid that he might have done so already.

"_The heartbeat sounded normal," Peyton assured him. "Our baby is going to be beautiful and precious and we are going to make sure that he or she is loved and looked after."_

"_I know we will," Lucas sighed. "I'm just worried about my HCM. It's a fifty-fifty chance, Peyton. Even if this baby doesn't have it, the next one could. And I never want our children to not be able to realize their full potential."_

"_Lucas, things happen for a reason, you know?" Peyton said. "Our children will be as healthy as they can be, as healthy as they're meant to be. If this baby or any others we might have has HCM, we'll deal with that once we know. There's no sense in worrying about it now."_

She didn't seem to understand. And maybe that was what scared him the most. Peyton always understood him, and this time she couldn't grasp his fears, his so-far unfounded guilt. She was excited about the baby and not thinking of anything else but that and their upcoming wedding. Lucas, however, was proving to be a worrier about the entire situation.

"_Or what about on your side?" Lucas asked._

"_What do you mean?"_

"_What if you're carrying a genetic breast cancer from Ellie, and our baby inherits that?" _

"_Lucas!" Peyton exclaimed. "Any health issues that our child may have will be taken care of. This baby isn't even born yet and it's like you're trying to find reasons not to love it."_

"_That's not what I meant..."Lucas began, but Peyton cut him off._

"_No, you know what?" she said. "If you want our baby to be sick, that's just great, Lucas. I choose to believe that this child will be perfect in every sense of the word, but if you want to try to ill-wish our unborn child, you do it where I can't hear you. I'm going to Brooke's."_

He hadn't tried to stop her because he knew it would only make her angrier. For the most part, she hadn't been experiencing bad mood swings, but he knew her well enough to realize that this wasn't the best time to try to reason with her. So he let her go. He went to bed shortly afterwards and tossed and turned for a few hours before finding himself with a basketball in hand, on his way to the River Court.

As he approached, he noticed the fading artwork on the court, beginning to be worn away by the shoes of other young players. "I will always love you", the words read. He knew that. Deep down inside, even before she had gotten the courage to declare it to their entire world through her art, Lucas had known that she would always love him. That's why he knew that she would forgive his insensitivity and his fears. Because she had forgiven him in the past, and still loved him. And he knew he had to talk to her right then and there, so he called her, not caring that it was the middle of the night and that he would probably wake Brooke as well.

"Hello?" she murmured sleepily.

"I love you," he said.

"Lucas? It's four thirty in the morning," she said.

"I know. And I need you to know that I love you, and I need you," he said. "Please, come talk to me."

He heard her sigh on the other end of the line, and then she hung up. He hadn't really expected her to answer, but he knew that she would come. He knew he had neglected to tell her where he was but he didn't expect that to be a problem either. She knew him well enough to figure it out, and she would be there soon. He sat in the middle of the court, drumming his fingers against the paint-covered surface, and waited.

"Hey," she said as she came towards him. Her eyes were tired, but she looked glad to see him.

"Hi," he said, grabbing her hand and gently pulling her down to sit beside him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, running his hand through her long curls. "I'm just scared."

"I'm scared too," she said. "And you weren't making it any easier."

"I know," he said. "I just don't want history to repeat itself in any way. I want a perfect little family with you, Peyton, with no health complications, no dead parents, no car accidents, or anything else that you and I have had to put up with."

"That's what I want too, Luke, but I'm not arrogant enough to believe that there's much we can do about any of it. So I'm just going to wait and take whatever comes at us. And if I know that you're by my side and that you're with me through all of it, I'll know that we're going to be alright, in the end."

"Okay," he said.

"Okay what?" Peyton asked.

"Okay. We will take this one day a time, one step at a time, and we'll be scared and thrilled and excited and nervous about it all at once, but we'll share it with each other."

"That's all I want," she said, moving into his embrace.

"I hope this doesn't fade too much before our baby grows up enough to understand it," he said pensively. "I want him or her to know how strong you were for me and for us."

"If I have to, I'll just paint it again," Peyton joked. "On the walls of our house. On the high school. Down the middle of the road."

"That might do the trick," Lucas laughed.

"But I really won't need to," she said with a smile. "Because we're a team now, and our team is going to increase by one more player in a few months, and we're going to be so strong together."

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too," she answered, bringing her face to his to meet him in a kiss.

They left the River Court awhile later, walking hand in hand down the streets of their hometown, feeling like they could accomplish anything. It was a night for hopes to be renewed and fears to be put to rest. He had always said that Peyton Sawyer was destined for greatness, and he was so lucky to be able to share that with her. That night, it felt as though they could do anything they wanted, as long as they were together.

_When I am a man will you want to be with me?_

_Who wants to make it big alone_

_And travelling is tricky_

_We might be walking at the start_

_And walking's just so slow_

_But with you I could slow dance anywhere I go_


End file.
